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Published on April 7, 2017
The Akash Pradeep, a Boeing-777 carrying the Bangladesh PM and her 350-strong entourage, reached the Palam air base at 12:05pm Friday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was there to give her a red-carpet welcome.
Delhi diplomats expect the tour to “pave the way for greater friendship between the countries”.
Prime minister will stay at the president's residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, during the visit, which Indian diplomats consider as 'exceptional'.
Her entourage includes 257 business leaders headed by FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad. Around 20 agreements and MoUs have been lined up for signing during the four-day visit.
Her last visit to New Delhi was in August, 2014 when she attended the funeral of Suvra Mukherjee, the wife of President Pranab Mukherjee.
She was in Goa in October last year for the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit. None of those were state visit.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali earlier said the deals to be signed during the visit are tied to the establishment of border posts, information exchange, nuclear power, science, technology, electricity, energy and defence.
Besides Ali, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Moshiur Rahman, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam are accompanying her.
Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Executive Chairman Kazi M Aminul Islam were also in her entourage.
Sheikh Helal Uddin MP and Awami League Presidium Member Kazi Zafar Ullah are among the politicians in the prime minister's entourage.
PM Narendra Modi greeted his Bangladesh counterpart with a flower bouquet, followed by Babul Supriyo, state minister for Heavy Industries.
Dhaka's envoy to Delhi Syed Muazzem Ali and India's High Commissioner to Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla were also present.
Modi then walked Hasina to the motorcade that took her to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill amid tight security.
The trip schedule said Hasina would be greeted at the air base just by Supriyo.
Modi's decision to greet her himself was a special gesture for extending "a warm welcome for a close friend," tweeted Gopal Baglay, spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs.
News: bdnews24
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